Thursday, March 11, 2010
Reprinted with permission.

4EC benefits North Fork students
Schools, libraries, PTAs and others share cost of regional programs
BY JULIE LANE |STAFF WRITER

There has always been power in numbers and that's what energizes the East End Education Enrichment Coalition, known in the community as 4EC.

What a single library, school district or organization can't afford can become reality when forces are joined and costs are split, said 4EC founder Joe Cortale, Floyd Memorial children's librarian.

The coalition stages cultural and informational events intended to educate, enlighten and entertain. They also give children from the towns of Southold, Riverhead and Shelter Island the chance to meet kids from across the North Fork while organizers get to share ideas and resources.

"I was a child who needed some special attention," Mr. Cortale said, explaining his desire to reach out to children with enrichment programs.

With budgets so tight, it's impossible for any one school or library to offer an array of after-school programs that will interest students from kindergarten through grade 12, Mr. Cortale said. By sharing costs with PTAs and nonprofits, such as the Southold Mothers' Club and North Fork Parents, 4EC is able to offer six to eight events a year, he said.

Since 2004, when it was founded, 4EC events have featured music, the arts, science, math, technology, sports and even career planning. In the music category, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Brady Rymer of Southold has been a staple of the 4EC program.

Thanks to 4EC, students have visited a traveling planetarium set up at Riverhead Free Library, engaged in teen health and fitness programs at the Peconic recreation center, explored the heritage of American Indians with a program on the Cutchogue Village Green and learned about physics and robotics.

They have also participated in a session called "Your Brain on Drugs" and learned about 2-D animation and polymers and plastics. Story-telling has been a favorite for younger children, Mr. Cortale said.

Mr. Cortale said he is hoping to form an alliance with Pat Snyder of the East End Arts Council to collaborate on some of its programs. The group has also tapped into the home-schooling community, with Dawn Heard of Greenport serving as a member of 4EC. Deputy town supervisor Phil Beltz, who organized Southold's Youth Bureau, also works with 4EC.

"If you offer a good program, the kids and the parents are going to come," Mr. Cortale said. Small fees are charged for some events, but scholarships are available to ensure that all students who want to participate will have the chance to do so.

"I will not deny any child," Mr. Cortale said.

Coming up on the 4EC schedule on April 17 is Robbi K., a Lincoln Center teaching artist and recipient of multiple Parent's Choice Awards, who will present a family concert at Cutchogue East Elementary School. The program will include music, theater and culture aimed at bringing a sense of the world community to family audiences.

On April 26, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dave Marcus and Oyster Bay guidance counselor Gwyeth Smith will present a program for high school students at Mattituck-Laurel Library on how to identify the best colleges for their needs and interests.

There's no competition among the various groups who collaborate to plan 4EC programs, Mr. Cortale said.

"It doesn't work unless you have great partners," he said. "It's a no-brainer to work together. Not to do so would have been a crime." He describes the organizers as "one unified coalition" and his own role as "just a little cog in this big wheel."

Information on 4EC programs is posted at all schools and libraries.